My Little Girl
by Ben10Extreme
Summary: "For all these years...I have been distant from her. I took her in...yet I've emotionally shut her out. How she grew up was not her fault, but mine. Fortunately...it's not too late for me to mend our relationship. I can still connect with her. Only now do I understand that she isn't just another prized student of mine...she's my daughter. Tigress, my little girl..."
1. Master or Father?

**Heya! Here I am with another KFP short story! This one has a high chance of being a two-shot. _Maybe_ a three-shot, but very unlikely. It involves a very specific subject: After all of their years together...what happens when Shifu takes the time to stop seeing Tigress as another one of his prized students? She means so much more to him, and it took him a long time to realize it. How loyal she was to him, how har she fought and trained for him, and his reaction to how he repayed her over the years? **

**Po and Viper help him come to a very startling realization, and that it isn't too late to fix things. It isn't too late to bond.**

 **Prepare for feels. I'm not a pro at them, but I'm not shabby, either.**

 **Let's Begin!**

* * *

 _"I'm sorry, Master, I-I don't know what got into me, I won't let it happen again."_

 _"Master, I won't disappoint you!"_

 _"I will make you proud."_

 _"It was an honor to serve you."_

 _"Master, forgive me."_

 _"I failed Shifu..."_

 _"This IS what you trained me for..."_

* * *

Shifu gasped as he was shocked out of his meditation, the candles that were lit around him beng instantly blown out to signify how much and how quickly his inner peace has been shattered. He began breathing heavily as he placed a paw on his forehead, and his eyes wide with confusion. He required a bit of time to calm himself down after that ordeal. Though during that time, he chose to try and deeply think about what the heck he just saw flash before his eyes. Or, to be significantly clearer, what he just _heard_ , rebound through his mind and echo through his ears. All of those voices were the same, but different. All of them belonged to the same person, and one person in partiuclar. Yet their tones, pitch, and emotional state were all completely different. It didn't take too long for him to notice who's voice it was, even when he also noticed the different age gaps between them.

Tigress. This was not the first time he's had mental flashbacks of his past, but this is the first time they were focused on one person in particular.

Why in the world was he thinking about her now? This was not out of negativity, but merely out of curiosity, and perhaps a bit of concern. No, there was definitely concern beginning to seep into his mind. It's not like Shifu has visions often, especially visions like those. There was never any vision focused on one specific thing or person. The only time he's had moments like this were when Tai Lung was reported to have escaped prison, and when Po has had his near-death experience all the way from Gongmen City, prompting him to head there himself to assist everyone. This was the third time he's had such a vision, and yet no one was in trouble, and there was no crisis going on at the moment. Everything was peaceful, everything was balanced, and everyone was happy.

So why was he having memory flashes of Tigress? Mostly the memories of the two of them...and they weren't very happy ones. What could have prompted such a mental response? Especially one that has him so deeply shaken, and enough to shock him out of his meditation?

There was no way he was going to find out by sitting around. He needed some help. But from whom? In terms of friendships, Po and Viper were the closest to her. And despite not knowing each other as long as everyone else, aside from Shifu himself, Po seems to be the only male of the group of comrades who can understand Tigress the most. And since Viper was the only other female of the Five, she could also understand Tigress better than most. She might know something as well.

He sighed tiredly as he stood up to leave his room, aiming to make some green tea. There was no way he was in a good enough mental state for meditation, especially if images like that managed to snap him right out of them. He'd best hold off on that too. Once he's found the solution to the problem and properly dealt with it, then maybe he could return to his meditation.

Though something within him makes him doubt that being an easy concept...

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"Alright guys, I'm gonna begin the challenge now!" Po said, waving his paws down a couple times to settle his curious comrades. He then stood up on his feet and held out a single dumpling with a confident smile. "Bet I can keep this dumpling bouncing for more than thirty seconds. _Without_ using my paws~"

"You're on! There's no way you'll pull it off!" Monkey declared while rubbing his paws together. "I'm _soooo_ gonna win this time! I'm gonna make you pay back every last almond cookie you snatched from my jar!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me for that! This time you said I could have a few!"

"That was before I knew that tour definition of 'few' meant _THE ENTIRE JAR!_ I don't even know why I trusted you with them to begin with!"

"Probably because your judgement isn't the best anyone's ever seen..." Crane deadpanned.

"Blah blah! Get started already, Po!" Mantis demanded, standing atop of Crane's hat.

Po grinned as he tossed the dumpling up in the air and folded his arms as it first bounced three times off of his head. When it bounced to the right and began falling to the ground, he recovered by lifting his right leg and kicking it back up to head level, in which it bounced even higher off of his nose and resumed it's continuous bounces off his head. The others watched on with slightly amazed faces except Monkey's, who was getting more nervous as ten seconds already went by. Viper was gently coiled around Lei Lei, who was clutching her precious Tigress figure and watching Po with amazed glee. A couple times, Po woul stumble, and Monkey would look excited. Though he would then make a last-second recovery that would allow the streak to continue, and Monkey would be greatly disappointed. Once it will fall behind him, he'd simply lean forward as it bounced upward from his butt, then he'd lean back as it bounced off his belly. The entire time, he didn't uncross his arms in the slightest, and he didn't wipe the confident grin off his face. Soon enough, the thirty seconds passed without a hunch,and he caught it in his paws.

"Winner!" Lei Lei cheered, raising her paws cheerfully with a giggle.

"Yes he is, sweetie~" Viper snickered as she lightly kissed the top of her head.

" _Noooooo! Not again!_ " Monkey moaned in dispair as he falls to the ground, paws holding him up and keeping him from faceplanting into the ground. His tail lies simply on the ground as he mutters unhappily about his loss. "...Defeated...again...how could this happen..."

"I believe you'll owe me yet another jar of almond cookies, my simian comrade." Po grinned as he swiftly eats the dumpling in his paw.

"...I...I really hate how you do this to me, man. You're seriously cruel about this." Monkey groaned as he slinked out of the room, reluctantly preparing to make some more almond cookies. He was slowly passing by Shifu, and he briefly patted his shoulder. "Master...don't bet with Po when food is on the line...he'll always win...there's just no beating him if food is a prize..."

"I...will keep that in mind, Monkey." Shifu nodded slowly, not really understanding what that meant. Nevertheless, he cleared his troat and turned to the other occupants in the room. "Po. Viper. I would like to speak to you both...privately."

Po and Viper looked towards each other in confusion, before they moved out of the room, Viper gently uncoiling from Lei Lei and folllowing them out the room. Once left alone, Crane and Mantis looked down at Lei Lei, who was looking at the both of them with innocent expectation. Crane sighed as he rubbed his beak nervously.

"Great. What do we do now? There's no way we can keep Lei Lei entertained by ourselves...especially since Tigress is on a solo mission right now..."

"Speak for yourself, dude. I got this!" Mantis said triumphantly as he hopped off Crane's hat and down on the ground, waving his forelegs. "Hey Lei Lei! We're gonna play 'Catch The Green Baby!'"

"Ooooh!~" Lei Lei seemed extra excited by this, getting up and chasing after Mantis, who began hopping off. He takes a lot of pride in his speed, but slowed himself down significantly in order to keep things fair for Lei Lei. Crane was briefly surprised by this.

"That's right, follow the Green Baby! Try to catch me!" Mantis said loudly, his voice echoing down the hallway, as well as Lei Lei's cheerful giggles. Once again, Crane was surprised by how well this was working out for them. But like he was thinking, whatever works. Though he wondered what Shifu had to speak to Po and Viper about, that needed to be in a private discussion. He seemed pretty serious about it, too. He's sure they'll be fine, so he wasn't to worried.

"For now, I'm gonna make sure Mantis doesn't go overboard." Crane sighed as he followed the two of them down the hallway.

 **(Peach Tree)**

Shifu lead Po and Viper up to the Peach Tree, not telling Po or Viper about why he called the both of them out without warning. He seemed pretty firm on the decision, though neither of them could place a reason as to why this might be. His face was solemn and focused, though there was also a degree of concern etched in his facial expression, despite how much they noticed he was trying to be stoic at the moment. Po seemed experienced at noticing when someone seemed disturbed about something, and Shifu definitely had something on his mind.

They eventually reached the Peach Tree, Shifu standing closest to it, while Po found it suitable to sit down and Viper coiled up in one spot with her head on top. She was the one to break the silence: "Is there something you wish to talk to us about, Master?"

Shifu sighed, his ears pressing against his head and his paws clasped behind his back. "Yes, Viper. There is a reason why I called the both of you out here." He slowly turned around and dropped his indifferent expression, now replaced with one full of exhaustion and worry. "I've been having flashbacks during my meditation. Flashbacks involving one person in particular...Tigress."

"Tigress?" Both of them asked simultaneously.

"Yes. It would seem that I am troubled deeply by something, and she has something to do with it. I didn't want to talk to her directly until I decipher what the flashbacks mean, thus to avoid misunderstandings." Shifu explained as he began pacing in front of the Peach Tree. "I remember flashbacks of the past involving her. Sometimes I was there...sometimes I wasn't. Very few of those memories involved her smiling. Most of them involved her training hard and going on missions, either going on them on my own orders or going off on them herself."

"Like when Tigress chose to go after Tai Lung, and we went to stop her?" Viper said a bit sheepishly. They had good intentions...though it really wasn't the best of ideas. The best they did was buy some time for Po to train, rather than actually stop Tai Lung like they intended.

Shifu sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "Indeed...I really do not know what has gotten into her that day..."

 _"Master PLEASE, let us stop Tai Lung, this is what you trained us for!"_

"That encounter could have very well been her demise, as well as you and the others..."

 _"I thought we could stop him..."_

Shifu shook his head. "What I'm wondering is why I'm thinking about that now of all times. It was a long time ago...yet only now does it bother me deeply...why...?"

 _"He could have KILLED you..."_

Viper could see the distress clear on Shifu's face as he thinks back to the decision Tigress made back then. A decision that could have cost her and her comrades their lives. Tigress saw that Po was more than just a person who was simply in her way, but someone with actual thoughts and feelings, something her arrogance would not allow her to acknowledge until Po's outburst, and even further when she was defeated. She was so sure that she was the Dragon Warrior. But for as long as Viper knew her, she slowly began to realize that maybe Tigress wasn't really interested in the title as she thought she was. She chose not to say anything because Tigress's determination wouldn't steer her away at that point. She thought back to that one time, when Tigress recounted Tai Lung and Shifu's story to Po:

 _"Shifu loved Tai Lung like he had never loved anyone before...or since."_

Po and Viper looked towards each other with looks of understanding, before turning to Shifu. "Master Shifu...we think we might know what's going on."

Shifu turned to him with his eyes slightly widened. "You do?"

"Your case is very related to both mine and Vipers. I remember when I was first chosen to become the Dragon Warrior...my Dad was worried about me." Po began, his arms folded. "The Dragon Warrior title is not something to be taken lightly. It's a title rife with danger and uncertainty. There's always a chance when I could get seriously hurt when I'm on missions...or worse. Ever since that day, and **_especially_** since Shen and Kai, two enemies of mine that were very personal and very much wanted me dead...Dad has grown more and more worried and protective of me. It's powerful on both aspects because I very well almost died both times when I was having personal issues with him. One was for my identity, and the other was from my birth father reentering my life. The second time, I actually DID kinda die...I was just lucky enough to have you all help bring me back and defeat Kai."

"My case isn't as fantastic or dark as Po's, but it does ring closer to yours, Master." Viper began. "My father, Great Master Viper, couldn't see me as a warrior since my fangs never grew in. I was a disgrace at the time. Though when I went up against that gorilla bandit, someone he himself couldn't defeat...he was terrified for me. Even when I won, one of his main concerns was whether or not I was alright. And then when I left him to train with you and the rest of the Five, he was sad to see me go, but proud that I would become something great, on my own terms."

Shifu listened to the both of them intently, nodding after they finished but still somewhat confused. "But...what do these things have to do with me and Tigress...?"

Po and Viper looked at one another again, nodding before turning back to Shifu. "Shifu...for the entire time you've known and trained Tigress...did she ever _once_ refer to you as 'Dad' 'Father', or anything of the sort? Did she ever once let it be known to you that she sees you as her father?" Po asked gently. "Or has she always just addressed you as 'Master' 'Shifu' or 'Master Shifu'? For this entire time you've known her, before I came along...did you ever consider her to be family?"

"Or to be more specific...do you see her as another student, more than you see her as your daughter?" Viper asked softly.

Shifu was about to answer, but he stopped immediately. He tried to think back to a time, ANY time, that Tigress have referred to him as her father, or he himself referred to her as his daughter. The more he thought about it...the more his ears drooped and his eyes widen in realization. If he has ever thought of her as a daughter, it was greatly outweighed by him seeing her as merely another student under his tutelege. He never even gave her the impression that he thought of her as family, even though he was the one who willingly took her in when no one else would.

And when he _did_ take her in...after a few warm moments of them training...he just...gave her the cold shoulder. He would usually cut her a break every now and then, though any chance of deep family bonding between the two was destroyed. A bond between father and daughter was not possible to form due to him still being greatly bitter about Tai Lung sinking into darkness after all the years of love and affection he's shared with him. Perhaps after such a mishap...he didn't want to go through that again. So he completely shuts Tigress out emotionally. She was to refer to him as her Master, because that's all he would ever be to her. He gave all the impressions that he was not going to indulge in a familiar bond with her. So she had to settle for the next best thing, being the best student she could be. She worked harder than anyone else, trained harder than anyone else, and fought harder anyone else. She's even... _hurt_ herself more than anyone else. All so she could please her Master, because she had no other way to bond with him back then. He was distant to her, cold and indifferent. His presence, understanding, and recogntion of her gave her hope of receiving love and affection, something she was _greatly_ starved of, she had hope of being part of a family...and he allowed his situation with Tai Lung to destroy that hope. It died out years ago. She lost all hope for being seen as a daughter, so she had to settle for being a student greater than Tai Lung could ever be.

And she would have done _anything_ to keep his attention on her. Anything that would have kept him from possibly...throwing her away.

"...I...I didn' didn't I..?" Shifu muttered sadly as he fell to his knees, staring at the ground.

"These things didn't occur to you at the time, Shifu. Your heart was still kinda frozen due to that whole Tai Lung deal." Po continued. "If they weren't Oogway, you didn't see many people in a positive light. You didn't want to bond with anyone else because you were afrad of going through that heartbreak again."

"But then Po entered your life, and you began to change." Viper nodded. "You became a bitter Master who distances himself from his students, into a kinder, more compassionate Master who always takes their health and safety into great consideration while training them. And because your heart is now much warmer than before, your memories regarding Tigress are catching up to you, and you're now seeing them in a different perspective. Now you're thinking back on those memories from a _Father's_ persepctive instead of just a _Master's_ perspective."

Shifu lifted his head a bit, his own blue eyes meeting Viper's. "A different...perspective..?"

Viper slowly slithered up to Shifu with a gentle and understand smile, wrapping her tail around him to help him stand. "Shifu. After everything you've been through, your mind is finally beginning to process that Tigress is more than just another prized student. She's _your_ daughter. She's _your_ little girl."

Shifu slowly looked as his paws as he processed what they were telling him. Then he stood up straight and placed his paws behind his back. "I...thank you both for taking the time to speak with me. You...you can go."

"Anytime." Po waved as he stood up. Then he rubbed his paws together. "Now...to see if Monkey's done making those cookies!"

"Wait up, Po! I want some!" Viper quickly waved goodbye to Shifu before following Po, determined to not let him have all the almond cookies this time.

Shifu slowly turned his attention to the Valley, thinking about what he's just been told. Could it be true? After all of these years of emotionally distancing himself from Tigress, he was now beginning to regret it? All those years of neglecting her, dismissing her as another student, when she clearly saw him as more than a Master. To her, he had saved her from complete lonliness. From the other children and parent's mockery and their fear of her. He taught her to control her immense physical strength, and she felt forever indebted to him for that, and taking her in. So indebted to him, that she no longer tried to connect with him as a daughter. As long as she was with him, even as a student to him and nothing else, it was enough. It was still leagues better than being all alone. That was her thought process. She gave up trying to gain parental love from him when it became apparent he would never give it to her. Because of his own issues, she had to settle for second best. It was because of him that she nearly grew as cold and distant to everyone as he was, and she never learned how to form proper friendships. If the Five and Po had never entered her life...how different could she have become?

Shifu had damaged her on a very deep emotional level, and for something that wasn't her fault. And only now was he beginning to regret it when most of the hardships were dealt with. Only now was he taking her feelings for him into consideration, and after so many years after barely regarding her with no more than a critical, passing glance.

This is a much graver mistake than even Tai Lung. Becuase she was still here. No matter how much he wronged her, she still stuck by him. She refused to cut him from her life, because he was the main reason she even had one to begin with.

 _"I am Tigress. Tigress the monster. A monster that no one wants..."_

 _"You are NOT a monster. You're just a little girl."_

Shifu didn't bother wiping the remorseful tears beginning to fall down his cheeks.

"Tigress..."

* * *

 **Shifu realizes his fathering skills in the past...are inferior to Mr. Ping and Li Shan's. VERY poor indeed. Though one question remains...what is he going to do about it, in the present?**

 **That remains to be seen..**


	2. Parenting Council?

**...Ya know how things don't go according to plan? Well...I've been having that experience.**

 **Let's just say that from where I am, Feburary is** ** _not_** **off to a very great start.**

 **Anyway, I know I said this was gonna be a two-shot...but then I remembered two other people Shifu could find council in...now there's gonna be one more chapter after this. Yeah. Plans change, apparently. And also, I know that there are many stories out there that did there take on the Shifu and Tigress relationship-and are MUCH better than me at it-buuuut...I wanted to do it anyway. That's pretty much it. Really.**

 **Welp. Now this is gonna be a THREE-shot because I took Mr. Ping and Li Shan into account. It may not be the best...but gosh darn it, I gave it a shot.**

 **Hopefully that doesn't dull the reading experience!**

* * *

Shifu needed some assistance.

The realizations from the other day were very hard-hitting, and he needed time to properly process it. And after a full day of thinking it over, it was decided that he needed some help. Professional help. Well...not really _professional_ help, but someone who has had much better luck with raising children than he did. It was a pretty necessary step for him, as he had no idea how to proceed on his own. It was pretty pathetic, he had to admit. Though the two men that were in front of him would most likely disagree with him.

"Why hello, Shifu!" Mr. Ping said as he came from behind his counter, putting up his apron in the process. Li Shan followed suit, taking a bit more time to fit through the door, having to lower his head a bit in order to fit through it. "What brings you here today, friend? You chose quite a great time to have a bit of a personal chat, as we were just getting ready to close up shop for the day."

"It's been getting more and more difficult to keep the panda cubs from the inventory...they're adapting." Li Shan sighed, wiping a bit of sweat off his brow. "I'm impressed with their growth, but something like this is going to unfortunately slow us down when it comes to business. Anyway, as Mr. Ping says, what brings you here, Shifu?"

The red panda sighed as he sits within one of the tables, Mr. Ping and Li Shan immediately taking seats next to him. He looked at the both of them...both of their happy, supportive faces. They were both beaming brightly, subtly begging for him to open up so they could know what was wrong. With enough silent but persistent demand, he looked down at the table and scratched behind his ear.

"...I...need your input on something. I've already had some input from Viper and Po, and I figured it was time to give you two a chance, considering you both have much better experience at this than I do." Shifu began explaining, nervously tapping his fingers on the table and looking up to the both of them. "It's...it's about Tigress."

"What about Tigress?" Li Shan blinked curiously.

"I..have recently come to the realization...that I've allowed my duties as a Master to completely overshadow my duties as a Parent. And only now, with all the troubles out of the way and my mind becoming much clearer, do I now notice that not every choice I made did Tigress much good. Of done an immense amount of emotional damage to her, and it was a result of my neglect. I...I want to know how to fix things between us. And since...well...two have been much better father figures than I could ever be...I figured I could come to you for guidance..."

Mr. Ping and Li Shan paused a little bit as they looked towards one another then back towards Shifu. The former slowly got out of his seat and pulled Li Shan out of his seat. "Shifu. We need a moment. Cover your ears."

Shifu blinked. "...Excuse me?"

"We need a bit of privacy to discuss this, and I know how effective and wide-ranging your ears are. So do cover your ears so that you don't hear what we're saying. We'll let you know when to uncover them." Mr. Ping explained, pulling Li Shan to the side. Shifu was stil confused, but he nonetheless did as he was told, pulling his ears down and keeping most sounds out. When Mr. Ping was sure he couldn't hear, he turned to Li Shan excitedly. "He wants to connect with Tigress!"

"You both told me how rocky their relationship was, so this is a real relief! He wants to make things better between them!" Li Shan beamed.

"And he's asking US for help! The Bond Between Fathers will assist us through these trying times!" Mr. Ping rose a wing. "We shall help Shifu through this, just like he helped our son Po!"

"Agreed. Plus...finally, they might have some Father-Daughter bonding!"

"YES!"

Mr. Ping and Li Shan both began hopping with glee and relief, while the currently clueless Shifu looks on, his expression one of complete and total loss. _What are those two so jumpy about...?_ He was never able to completely understand how those two think and act. Yet for some reason, that makes their friendship trio even more interesting. Shifu thinks a lot of things through. They clearly do not, at least not all the time.

He watches as they both nod and make their way back towards Shifu, gesturing for him to uncover his ears. "Alright, we thought it over. Let's start things out, shall we?"

"So, we know that you wish to reconnect with Tigress, realizing how you didn't really connect with her on a fatherly level. Something she wanted and thought she could never have, due to how you usually gave her the cold shoulder." Li Shan said. "We need a bit of background first. What made you go to Po and Viper first?"

Shifu nodded as he sits up straight. "Well...I asked them because they have quite wonderful relationships with their fathers, and that I am really envious of those fathers for having such amazing children." Mr. Ping and Li Shan looked at him in surprise. He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Yes, I know. I'm well aware of how much jealously can cloud one's judgement sometimes...but I cannot help myself. You both have managed to keep such great relationships with your children, while I have become quite distant to Tigress. At least emotionally. I want to fix this as much as I can."

Mr. Ping and Li Shan once again looked into each others eyes for a moment. They then nodded simultaneously and turned back towards Shifu. A silent conversation went on between them and Shifu couldn't pick up on it. It was amazing how close they became so quickly. Though he also felt a bit bad for not being a part of it, even though it wasn't meant to be portrayed that way. Mr. Ping chose to speak first.

"Shifu...I have to be honest with you. Finding a baby panda alone in a radish basket, covered in soot, extremely hungry, and no one around to claim him...that was NOT how I expected my day to go. But you know what? I took him in anyway. And let me tell you...my work life did NOT get much easier from that decision. Had to balance my work, and raising Po at the same time. I even had to teach him how to help me out in the kitchen at an early age so that it might be at least a bit easier." Shifu raised an eyebrow in confusion, not knowing where this was going. Though Mr. Ping slowly smiled. "But despite the hardships we faced with him growing up...we did quote alright. Besides, things ultimately worked out for us. Po had a home, and I had someone to come home to. We were no longer lonely."

Li Shan cleared his throat a bit as he nodded quietly. "Finding out that my son was alive after all of these years...needless to say, it was one of the most exciting moments of my life, and there was no way I was going to ruin this chance. I had missed out on over twenty years of my child growing up...I was NOT going to miss any more. Traveling halfway across China on my own? That's nothing compared to having the tormenting feeling that your family was dead, yet you could never know for sure. Meeting my son was one of the most fulfilling moments of my entire life, and I'm especially glad that I managed to fit into his life so easily despite my long absence. We connected very well, as you can see." Shifu placed his paws on the table, still mostly unsure of where this was going.

Mr. Ping then clasped his wings. "Though as my son grew up...his thoughts drifted away from noodles...and towards Kung Fu. Now at first, I did not really show any interest for the concept. I thought it was too dangerous for him to partake in. While I was somewhat right about that, it's not the point I'm trying to make. My son had a dream...and I did not support him. I thought it was completely out of his reach. I was so intent on having him be the next successor for my noodle shop, that I began ignoring what _he_ might want to do with his life. I just assumed he would always stick with noodles. That...wasn't the best parenting move I made."

Li Shan sighed as he turned towards Shifu, rubbing his forehead. "Once I understood the full danger of what Kai was bringing our way...I knew I couldn't just let Lotus go along with it." Shifu narrowed his eyes slightly. Li Shan was using Po's birth name...a sign of seriousness for sure. "So of course, I used the fact that pandas used to be skilled users of chi a long time ago, I used that as an excuse to take Lotus far away from the Valley of Peace. Far away from Kai. I had just gotten my child back, and I didn't want to lose him again. I presented a false hope so that Lotus wouldn't have to risk his life to stop something that might be undefeatable. That selfishness...it very nearly cost me my son, and my entire tribe. That will definitely go down as one of my more shameful decisions..."

Shifu looked between the two fathers, and listened to them recall the parenting moments they weren't entirely proud of. He was trying to see what point they were trying to make. He really wished he could catch it, and was admittedly frustrated with being unable to do so. Mr. Ping nodded softly.

"Shifu...do you know why we're telling you this? Why we tell you of our first meetings with Po, and our 'not-so-great' parenting moments?" Mr. Ping asked quietly. He then rubbed his neck. "Well...it's the first time that Li Shan's seen him in over twenty years...but again, that's not the point!"

"Good. Because I'm honestly very confused." Shifu deadpanned.

Li Shan nodded to this in understanding, and leaned in close to him. "Shifu...you have to understand one thing...there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Mistakes don't stop just because you have a child to take care of. I know that as an esteemed and highly recognizable Kung Fu Master, you don't always take mistakes lightly. You were much more strict, much more unforgiving. You showed a lot of pride and affection into that Tai Lung fellow Lotus told me about. And when you two had...well...a falling out...it made you think that showing affection and pride in her would just lead to the same result. So you discarded both of those things. Tigress...didn't really pick up on that very well, and it made for quite a misunderstanding. After all...there shouldn't be any doubt in you loving your child."

Shifu looked surprised by this. "I...I never meant to...I mean...of COURSE I love her!" He rubbed his forehead with a tired sigh. "Though...I suppose I wasn't really willing to _show_ that I did...and I don't really remember myself telling her such...I can see how she might have gotten the wrong idea on such matters...goodness gracious...I portrayed myself in a manner I never meant to..." The red panda's ears lowered as well as his eyes. "I...I'm such a terrible father..."

 _SLAP!_

Shifu was caught greatly off-guard by Mr. Ping just suddenly slapping him in the face with a backwing. Though he showed immediate regret as he gently rubbed the now bruised cheek. "Sorry! I didn't mean to swing too hard! I meant to be gentler than that!" Mr. Ping said hysterically, while Li Shan just looked on awkwardly and wondered how far they would take this. When he recovered, Mr. Ping stepped back and folded his wings. "You may not have made the best of decisions, but that does _not_ make you a terrible father! Nor will it ever! I don't _ever_ want to hear those words leave your mouth again!"

"But-"

"No buts! Do NOT make me get my frying pan!" That seemed to silence Shifu immediately. No one ever wanted to be on the bad side of Mr. Ping's frying pan of doom. It ended very badly for those that did.

"Now now, Mr. Ping. Deep breaths..." Li Shan said gently, trying to get the avian to calm down. "We're here to help Shifu, remember? We had slight expectations about him saying something like this. Let's be patient with him and simply explain to him why he's wrong."

"Doooh...alright." Mr. Ping sighed as he calmed himself down and gazed at Shifu with more patience in his eyes. "It's as Li Shan said before, perfect parenting...it's not really a thing. Perfecting Kung Fu and Perfecting Parenting...those aren't things that should be put together as you tried to do. She tried to be perfect in your eyes so that you would pay more attention t her, because she believes that's what you wanted. That goal is impossible. We're not going to stop making mistakes, be they parent or child."

"You didn't do the best of jobs when it came to raising Tigress, Shifu. But you certainly didn't do the worst. You can't expect everything to go smoothly. I mean...look at us and Po. His life was _full_ of ups and downs that neither of us were prepared for. And believe us, there were a LOT of downs. We've lied to our son, and we tended to bring him down when we were _supposed_ to be bringing him back up. And it pushed him away for a time."

"But you know what, Shifu? He ultimately turned out alright. He has Kung Fu, he has his family, and he has noodles! His three favorite things!" Mr. Ping beamed. "What we're trying to say is...you can't have a perfect family, nor should you strive to have one. I don't really have a strong belief in perfection, because that means it can no longer improve, or get better. it just...peaks. And family can _always_ get better."

Li Shan beamed at him as well. "Take it from me, Shifu. It's never too late to connect with your children. But as she is now, she doesn't know that you wish to co this with her, because she failed in her attempts to do so from the past on a father-daughter level. But you can make things better in the present. Do what I did. I came to Po, I did not wait to go to him once I knew where he was and that he was alive. You have to go to her."

Shifu was rather glad that he came to these two for further help. As goofy as they were in their own rights, they seemed to really know what they were talking about. In Shifu's eyes they were much better fathers than he was, but that didn't mean they didn't have their own fair share of downsides to parenting. Their relationships were far from perfect, but then again, they weren't aspiring to be. Po's happiness was what mattered to them above all else. While they did not always act accordingly to that mindset, they never meant ill-will about it. There comes a time where parent and child won't be able to see eye to eye, and they might distance themselves from each other for a bit. But they always came through in the end. This was the case for both of these men, and why Po simply refers to them both as simply 'Dad'.

They connected so well.

Shifu looked at the two fathers once again, and they could tell he gained a bit of understanding from their experiences. "There's just one thing I wish to know. How do I do this? I know what I want to do, but I have no idea how to go about it."

"Tigress cares about you greatly, you already know this. Bonds take time to form, and effort to maintain. I'm sure that you can find something you can connect to her with." Mr. Ping smiled. "Though, if you would really like some input from us...how about a spar between you two?"

"Sparring? How will that help?"

"Tigress is not the most skilled when it comes to dealing with emotions, Shifu. She's getting better of course, but she still has quite a way to go. I'm just saying that this is how she does things sometimes. When there were times that Po was troubled by something and she was there to help, she tended to do so using her fists to get him to open up and talk to her. Is it the most _effective_ method in the world? No. But for her, it tends to work, as they tend to get that much closer afterwards." Mr. Ping raised his wings. "Again, this is just a suggestion based on what we saw and what they both told us about their experiences. You can decide for yourself how to decide this."

"Besides, how great would it be for a Kung Fu Master such as yourself to bond with your daughter by seeing for yourself how far she's come?" Li Shan agreed. "Still, the choice ultimately falls on you."

Shifu nodded in understanding, stepping out of his seat and bowing to the both of them. "I shall take this advice to heart...and I might give it an attempt. Thank you, my friends, for hearing me out and lending me your help."

"No thanks necessary. This is what friends are for." Mr. Ping smiled. "...You know what, Shifu? I think you could use a hug."

"...What?"

"Yes! Po and Tigress tend to hug each other at their most emotional moments. You've been under a bit of emotional stress lately. Let us help with that, too!"

Shifu shook his head rapidly. "N-No. That's quite alright. I don't really-"

"Aw, come here you!" Li Shan wasn't having it. He scooped Shifu in a bear hug, nuzzling his cheeks. "Don't you know that hugs mean love?~"

"Father group hug!" Mr. Ping declared as he flapped his wings a bit and hugged Shifu was well, hanging from Li Shan's arms.

Shifu signed inwardly. Normally he would have swiftly avoided their desire for a close embrace, but for some reason, these two completely bypassed it and did so anyway. He decided not to resist and just let them do so. All while he was quietly thinking about how he was going to connect to Tigress. She doesn't really express herself emotionally like Viper does. Though they say that she connects with Po through sparring. They agreed it wasn't the best way to do things, but it usually worked for her. Maybe he could try...

...someone was in the entrance of the shop. Shifu's ears don't miss anything.

Shifu's eyes widened as he swiftly turned around to see Tigress standing in the entrance of the shop, a satchel over her shoulder. Back from her solo-mission, she was looking at the three of them with a half confused, half amused expression.

"Um...I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

* * *

 **I couldn't help getting him to seek out Mr. Ping and Li Shan! They seemed like such good sources of advice.**

 **I SWEAR that Tigress will be in the next one much more. Count on it. Really.**

 **Life likes to throw plans off-course. That, and other fandoms.**

 **But mostly life. EVERYONE must know what that feels like.**

 **Ah well. See ya in the last one!**


	3. It's A Start

**Here's the final chapter of this threeshot! I already knew that it wouldn't really be the most impressive, since this direction has been done to death and others have much more detailed stuff to work with and recieved much better feedback, but I'm still pretty content with what I came up with.**

 **All in all, I'm hoping you enjoyed this little tale of mine.**

 **Let's proceed, yeah?**

* * *

Shifu could think of many ways to escape a precarious situation through combat, and effectively improvise through said situations and come out on top nearly every time. However, ever since he befriended Po and Mr. Ping, then later Li Shan, he's been finding himself in situations that Kung Fu just cannot get him out of easily. Awkward moments like this leaves him speechless and unable to properly act. This was surely one of those situations, being sandwiched in-between a panda and a goose, while Tigress stared at the trio with a mix of confusion and amusement. Shifu swore he heard her giggle slightly. That was very much unlike her. Was the situation that amusing to her? He doesn't see her giggle often, though it was nice to know that she was definitely smiling more.

"Oh! Hi, Tigress! We were just speaking with your father on a couple things!" Mr. Ping said while still cheerfully rubbing his cheek against Shifu's, while Li does the same for the red panda's other cheek.

"Tigress...this isn't what it looks like." Shifu said sheepishly as he tried not to look embarrassed.

"Really. because it looks like you're sharing a group hug with Mr. Ping and Li. I really don't see why you feel embarrassed about a simple hug." Tigress blinked after that statement. She then rubbed her own neck sheepishly. "Though given my experiences with Po, I suppose I'm not one to talk."

"He shouldn't be embarrassed about getting hugs from his bestest friends!" Mr. Ping beamed.

"Of course! Shifu is simply being bashful!" Li said while also nuzzling his cheek against Shifu' red panda could only begin to blush brightly at the close embraces.

"Hm~" Tigress lightly chuckled at the scene, before turning slightly. "Well, I'm going to head up towards the Palace. I'm guessing Lei Lei really misses me right now."

" _Ha!_ That's an understatement!" Li guffawed, claiming a tighter hug on Shifu, and pulling him closer. He took the time to silently whisper in his ear: _This is your chance. I suggest you go with her._

 _Since she's done with her mission for today, now's your chance to speak with her._ Mr. Ping whispers in his other ear. _...Oh yeah, almost forgot. If you mess this up, I'll bop you upside the head with my spoon. And I'll make it **hurt**._ Shifu shivered slightly as Li set him down and Mr. Ping pushed him forward. "Oh, Tigress! Shifu will be accompanying you to the palace! Best to discuss the details of your solo journey, is that right?"

"U-Um...of course." Shifu nodded as he moved away and began walking alongside Tigress, away from the shop.

"Bye you two! Let Po know I said hi!" Mr. Ping waved cheerfully as the duo left them behind. Once they were far enough away, Mr. Ping turned towards Li and grinned goofily. "I think they'll be just fine! So long as Shifu knows what he's doing!"

Li shrugged. "Possibly not. Though that doesn't mean that improvising is impossible for him to do. He'll just have to do so REALLY carefully." Li reassured. "And even so, he'll be listening to his much warmer heart when he does this, so I guess we're both sure that they'll be just fine."

"Indeed!"

 **(To the Jade Palace...)**

"I've returned from my assignment." Tigress waved casually while stepping through the Jade Palace doors, slowly being followed by Shifu.

Lei Lei was again cheerfully chasing Mantis around, becoming determined to catch him by any means necessary. Though that determination soon faded away the second she heard Tigress's voice echo through the halls. She turned and sees the feline standing in the doorway. Her eyes sparkled happily and her smile brightens the entire room. "Stripey Baby!" The cheer echoes through the room as she raised her arms, her precious Tigress doll in paw, and made her way towards her favorite feline. Tigress was more than happy to set her bag to the side so she could kneel down and hug the panda cub.

"Hello there, Lei Lei! Have you been a good girl for me?" Tigress smiled warmly as she gently pets the panda cub, who was currently nuzzling her chest, then leaned up to nuzzle her nose.

"Mhm!~"

"Well I'm glad to hear that. It's also nice to see that the others haven't been causing too much trouble for you either. That wouldn't do at all."

"Oh come one, Tigress! Have a little bit of faith!" Mantis groaned in annoyance, causing Tigress to roll her eyes.

Po soon came out of one of the hallways, waving towards Tigress and Shifu. "Woah! You're back already, Ti? That was faster than I expected!" He folded his arms and clicked his tongue. "Then again, this is _you_ we're talking about. You're bound to break through expectations. So, how'd it go?"

"Managed to chase off all of those bandits being bothersome to the nearby village, so I did them a bit of service and chased them all off single-handedly." Tigress said while softly petting Lei Lei's head. "All in all, it's not too bad a mission. How were things around here? Hopefully nothing too troubling, perhaps."

Mantis seemed almost offended. "What?! I JUST said have some faith in us!"

"I know. Yet I also know that Po won't lie to me. He's fully truthful towards me." Tigress shrugged. "Besides. We all know he's a terrible lier, unlike you and Monkey."

"Green Baby is bad baby!~" Lei Lei giggled warmly.

Mantis's jaw dropped. "W-What?! Tigress! Look at what you've done! Now she thinks I'm a bad baby! I'm a good green baby!" Pause. "...WAIT A MINUTE! I'M NOT A BABY AT ALL! GAAAAAH!"

 _...This might have gotten out of hand very quickly...and over something seemingly casual._ Shifu sweat-dropped. He cleared his throat and lightly tapped his leg. "Um...Tigress. I would like for you to meet me in the Training Hall." Tigress blinked curiously at this, wondering what Shifu would want with her in the Training Hall. Nonetheless, she lightly kissed Lei Lei's head and handed her to Po before following Shifu to the Training Hall.

Po tilted his head a little bit as Viper slithered up next to them. He then turned to Viper and nodded. "Should we go and watch? See how they do?"

"Mhm." Viper nodded. They both soon began to follow the duo to the Training Hall, interesting to see what the duo would do next.

 **(Training Hall)**

Po carried Lei Lei soothingly in his arms as Viper was wrapped around his arm, and was cheerfully sharing some dumplings with the two females. Tigress and Shifu were standing across from one another, with the former wearing a curious expression worthy of a cat. After a slightly tense moment of waiting, Tigress finally voiced said curiosity.

"What might you be up to, Master?"

Shifu closed his eyes for a bit as he thought about what was said to him earlier. _Tigress is not the most skilled when it comes to dealing with emotions, Shifu. She's getting better of course, but she still has quite a way to go. I'm just saying that this is how she does things sometimes. When there were times that Po was troubled by something and she was there to help, she tended to do so using her fists to get him to open up and talk to her. Is it the most **effective** method in the world? No. But for her, it tends to work, as they tend to get that much closer afterwards. _ Shifu slowly opened his eyes and nodded softly. "I wish for us to spar together."

"Master?"

Shifu faintly nodded. "You've been improving significantly over the years, Tigress. And it's about time that I gauge that progress firsthand, if you don't mind."

Po and Viper both looked towards the pair with curious gazes, while Lei Lei was only focused on Tigress, holding her Tigress figure closer. Tigress herself recognized what Shifu wished to do, and nodded quietly. Shfiu nodded back towards her as they both quietly prepared for their requested spar. Tigress brought her paws together and bowed slightly, while Shifu did the same. Though when he blinked, we was surprised by what he saw.

He seemed to be seeing a younger Tigress instead of her adult self. The vision flashed golden for a couple moments before reality returns to him, suddenly flashing back to her adult self. He shook his head as he tried to regain his focus, though he was definitely curious as to why this was happening. A deep breath was taken before Shifu narrowed his eyes and moved swiftly towards Tigress. She cautiously stood her ground as Shifu kicks at her from below. Her knee raises just high enough for it to lessen the blow. Shifu manages to shift himself just enough for him to land on her knee to propel himself upwards and strike her cheek. Tigress raised her paw just as quickly and deflected the kick just enough for her to scrape her cheek and have him fly past her, landing a couple feet away. He narrowed his eyes as she moved swiftly for the offensive. However...

 _"Shifu, an acorn can only become the mighty oak, not a cherry tree. You must let her grow into what she will be."_

 _...I remember Oogway once teling me this...but why now...?_

Shifu's pondering left him exposed for attack for a few moments. At the last second, he leapt backwards as Tigress's heel smashed into the ground, cracking it slightly. She wasn't done howevert, as she pushed forward with her remaining momentum with both her fists outward. His eyes widened as he brought his arms up to defend, only to be pushed back a couple feet, his own heels digging into the ground. He took after her example and pushed forward to strike her chin. She was quick to bring her arms up and block the kick, except she didn't move in inch. She quickly separated her arms as she pulled back and struck Shifu with a Double-Palm Strike. He skidded across the ground on his feet, but nonetheless stayed standing.

 _"I hold my ground... steady, strong. This is the way of kung fu."_

The vision ends just as quickly as it began, forcing Shifu to hastily regain focus and engage Tigress once again.

Po and Viper were watching the spar with outright shocked expressions. They could already see something was happening with Shifu, but it wasn't nearly enogh for him to lose too much focus while Tigress was moving. He wasn't that impeded at all. And yet despite that, Tigress was doing impressively well against him this time. Unlike the others, when it was completely one-sded in Shifu's favor. Lei kept her carefree demeanor the entire time. All she saw as her idol being awesome, so that's currently her only focus aside from holding her figure in her arms. Shifu rushed towards Tigress once again, but was delayed as Tigress swooped for a leg sweep. He jumps up to avoid it and kicks at her head, only form him to duck under and regain her stance at the very last moment, allowing her to strike at his unprotected back before he could properly recognize what was going on.

 _"I will make you proud."_

If Shifu could count the amount of times that pride has blinded him to the things that should have been painfully obviosus, he would slap his past self for being so dense and so distant. He didn't want to give her constant praise in fear of a second Tai Lung, but this was hardly a worthy substitute for that behavior. She's long-since accepted that having a familial relationship with him would be just that, a dream out of her reach. He never meant for her to feel like that. If he could go back and do better, he most certainly would.

 _"Shifu loved Tai Lung like he had never loved anyone before... or since. And now, he has a chance to make things right. To train the true Dragon Warrior."_

Shifu pushed Tigress' fist to the side as she strikes at the ground where he stood, cratering it a bit. He still kept his eyes on the spar, though his mind was multi-tasking these things. She wanted to become the Dragon Warrior. Not for her own sake and pride, but for _him_. Of course he would pay more attention to her, but seeing him actually smile because he was lifted of a heavy burden...she would have done anything. Luckily he never got the chance to see what that 'anything' might amount to. Shifu blinked as he kicked upwards, avoiding another kick which would have done major damage if he was a few moments too slow. Though he had a feeling Tigress would pull back at a precise moment if it became too much. The thought quickly passes through his head as Shifu sidestepped a punch, grabbing Tigress by the arm and flinging her over his shoulder. Tigress was thrown in the air, but righted herself and landed perfectly on all fours.

The two narrowed their eyes at one another, before charging once again. They both jumped towards one another and kicked at the same time. A bit of chi slipped through the strike, which blinded them slightly in a bright flash of light when they collided.

 _"What are you doing? You are nothing! I just defeated Shifu!"_

 _"...No. I'm not Shifu. I am Tigress."_

The light slowly dies down, and Shifu allowed his eyes to open and adjust. When everything cleared up, he was lying on his back, while Tigress was still standing. She seemed just as surprised as he was. As well as Po and Viper. Lei Lei, once again, just seemed glad to be there.

"...Did she...? I think she did." Po said in disbelief, but nonetheless smiled brightly. "She defeated Shifu in a fair spar! That is a humongus jump in improvement!"

"I think she's just as surprised as we are." Viper pointed out with a proud giggle.

Meanwhile, Shifu still stared at the ceiling, slightly surprised by what had happened. Though after a few moments, he smiled and chuckled slightly, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "And here I thought that those two were just playing around when it came to that whole 'understanding through fists' theory...but alas, many more things are clear to me now. Maybe not every single thing...but my understanding has definitely grown." Shifu slowly stood up and dusted himself off. There was NO way that things were just going to patch up after just one sparring session. But he had to admit...this was definitely a start. There may be a time when Tigress will be able to talk to him about this directly. Butfor now, he was just glad he made a immense step forward.

":...Master. Are you alright?" Tigress asked, kneeling down towards him in concern.

Shifu shook his head softly. "I...I am alright, Tigress. There is no need for you to worry about me. A bit surprised, but in a pleasant way." He then walked up towards her and gently placed his paw upon her cheek, lightly caressing it. Tigress stared into his eyes, but neither of them said anything more. A silent message passed through the two of them, and they both seemd to understand what the other was trying to say. Tigress proceeded to pull Shifu in a hug. He was slightly surprised by this, but he closed his eyes and allowed himself to surrender to the warmth she provided.

 _"I am Tigress. Tigress the monster. A monster no one wants..."_

 _"You are NOT a monster. You're just a little girl..."_

 _...MY little girl..._

"...I'm so proud of you." Shifu said softly. The response was for Tigress to hug him tighter, as a warm smile spreads across her face.

Po and Viper watched them both, Lei Lei still bouncing in the former's arms. Viper turned towards Po with a soft smile. "This is great, isn't it?"

"You bet. I mean, it's not gonna remedy all of those years of emtional pain..." Po began as he watched the pair embrace one another, for once being completely free of worries, and just focused on each other. Po then smiled as he closed his eyes and nodded. "...but ya gotta admit, this is a pretty awesome start."


End file.
